National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak on behalf of the amendment being offered by my colleagues Senator Warren from Massachusetts and Ranking Member Jack Reed from Rhode Island. I strongly support this amendment, and I want to explain why.

A nuclear weapon is a nuclear weapon, period. They are the only human-made force that could destroy all of humanity in a matter of minutes. They annihilate utterly and completely. The size of the bomb does not matter. Using any nuclear weapon is a step so grave that it is, in and of itself, an act of war. It also invites nuclear retaliation. That is why President Ronald Reagan was right when he said: ``A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.''

Nuclear weapons are fundamentally different than any other military capability we possess. Congress must have a role in determining when these weapons are developed, how they are managed, and if, Heaven forbid, we must ever use them again.

Oversight is one of the fundamental responsibilities of this body, and on no issue is it more important than nuclear weapons. That is why I support what Senator Warren and Senator Reed are doing. It rightly protects the role Congress must play in determining if and when we as a nation decide to develop more of the most lethal weapons on the planet.

What Senator Warren and Senator Reed are doing is ensuring that Congress must authorize developing new or modified nuclear weapons because that is all important. This authority was written into law years ago. It was a bipartisan compromise that passed 96 to 0. Congressional oversight of nuclear weapons development and deployment has long enjoyed bipartisan support, and it should now as well.

There are many, myself included, who believe we should go even further. As the only Nation to have ever used nuclear weapons against another country, the United States has a special responsibility to lead global efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate the world's nuclear weapons. This is an important issue. I am a realist, and I realize, as long as nuclear weapons exist, the United States must have a credible nuclear deterrent that is safe, secure, and reliable.

Appropriately striking this balance is one of the most consequential issues, not only for our Nation but for the whole world. It is why, for decades, Congress has played a crucial bipartisan role overseeing our Nation's nuclear arsenal. The debates have been heated. We have not always agreed, but we recognize Congress must be involved. This must continue to be the case moving forward.

So I thank Senator Reed and Senator Warren for their leadership in offering this amendment, which goes right to the heart of the question of what the role of the Congress is on this most important of all issues--the authorization for the development of nuclear weapons in our country.

From the beginning of the nuclear era, when President Roosevelt involved the Congress in the development of the Manhattan Project, until today, it has always been critical that those who are most concerned about this issue, the American people, have their elected representatives in the room.

I thank Senator Reed and Senator Warren for their leadership on this issue.

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